Now Commenting On:

Notes: Guillen plays through pain

Notes: Guillen plays through pain

CHICAGO -- Jose Guillen isn't about to let a bruised finger keep him out of the lineup, and he's got the track record to prove it.

Guillen was expected to be out of Friday's lineup against the White Sox after he took one of Daniel Cabrera's 95 mph fastballs to his right middle finger on Thursday against the Orioles.

Guillen wasn't sure how well he would be able to throw the ball, but was convinced he could go after tossing a few rounds prior to Friday's series opener against the Mariners.

That's all that his manager needed to hear.

"[Guillen] did his routine like he normally does, and I saw him moving [his finger] around," said Mariners manager John McLaren. "He said he can play, so he can play."

Guillen is no stranger to playing through pain. In 2003, he played with a broken bone in his left wrist while Oakland was in the middle of a pennant race.

Guillen said his wrist was in such poor condition that the broken bone could actually be seen bulging through his skin, but he wrapped it in a bandage and played on.

The sore finger shouldn't affect his hitting -- Guillen smashed a home run the very next time he faced Cabrera on Thursday. His throwing ability, though, remained somewhat unclear.

"It will be OK hitting, I can tell you that," Guillen said. "We'll see when the time comes [to throw]."

Adam Jones would have most likely played for Guillen on Friday, but Seattle's everyday right fielder told McLaren he was ready to play.

At that point, it was a no-brainer for the Mariners' manager.

"Three-quarters of his arm is probably as good as a lot of people's full stuff, so he'll be fine," McLaren said. "If he runs into a problem, he'll let us know, but when he tells me he's fine, he's fine."

Jones, meanwhile, did not start Friday, and will continue to be used on an as-needed basis. McLaren said he feels no pressure to find a permanent spot for the Mariners' young talent, who was 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, and four runs scored.

"He's going to go in one day, and never going to come out, so let's put it that way," McLaren said of Jones. "I can't tell you when that day's going to be, but it's going to happen."

Trivia time: Jones' four runs scored in Thursday's game was a new club rookie record. What was the previous record, who held it, and when was it accomplished? See the answer below.

Ozzie has left the building: Friday was Elvis Presley night at U.S. Cellular Field, and McLaren had a little fun with it.

During White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen's pre-game media session on Friday afternoon, McLaren asked Guillen if he was going to dress up like the king, to no avail.

"I just wanted to know if he was going to dress up like Elvis [on Friday]," McLaren said. "He didn't know who Elvis was, so that's when it was time for me to leave."

McLaren developed a friendship with Guillen in Venezuela in the early 1980s, and has maintained a relationship with the White Sox manager ever since. He said he often talks with Guillen and bench coach Joey Cora, who played with the Mariners from 1995-98.

He also makes a point to seek out Guillen whenever the two teams play each other.

"I have a lot of respect for Ozzie," McLaren said. "Sometimes I talk to Joey Cora on the phone, and, when there's Joey, there's Ozzie, and when there's Ozzie, there's Joey, so I always talk to him that way."

Keep the faith: Despite a recent string of rough outings, McLaren said he still has plenty of faith in starter Horacio Ramirez.

Ramirez has allowed 22 earned runs in his last four games, but still has a record of 2-1 through that span. He picked up the win in Thursday's series finale against the Orioles despite allowing seven runs in five innings.

"I was impressed, after he gave up the grand slam, when he came in and slammed the door," McLaren said. "He showed some maturity and that showed what he was all about. If you take two or three pitches away from each one of those last five starts, and it would be different all the way around."

Movin' on up: With a win Friday night, the Mariners would move to 15 games over .500, which would match their previous season high, set on July 20. Seattle has not been 16 games over .500 since the 2003 season.

The answer is: Several rookies had recorded three runs in a game, but shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt was the last player to accomplish it, notching three runs against the Royals on Aug. 17, 2005.